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Ohio inventions and firsts · First · 1935

Alcoholics Anonymous founded

AA dates its inception to June 10, 1935, when Akron surgeon Dr. Bob Smith took his last drink after meeting Bill Wilson; the two worked at Akron City Hospital with a third patient.

At a glance

Year
1935
By
William Griffith 'Bill' Wilson, Robert H. Smith (Dr. Bob)
Place
Akron, Summit County ZIP 44302 · Akron · Summit County

The story

In the 1930s alcoholism was seen mostly as a moral failing, and there was little help. Two men who struggled with drinking, Bill Wilson of New York and Dr. Robert Smith, a surgeon in Akron, found that talking with another person who was in the same trouble helped them stay sober.

AA counts its beginning from June 10, 1935, the day Dr. Bob took his last drink. The two men worked with other alcoholics at Akron City Hospital in the following months. By 1939 groups existed in Akron, New York and Cleveland, and together they had helped about 100 people stay sober.

That year the group published its book, Alcoholics Anonymous, known as the Big Book, which sets out the Twelve Steps and has stories from 30 people. A 1941 Saturday Evening Post article tripled membership in a year, after membership had reached 2,000 in 1940.

Today AA is in about 180 countries, with nearly two million members in 2021, 73 percent of them in the United States and Canada. The founding is Ohio history because it began with one Akron doctor.

Timeline

  • 1935-06-10: Dr. Bob Smith takes his last drink, the date AA counts as its start. (Akron, OH) source
  • 1935: Bill W. and Dr. Bob work with alcoholics at Akron City Hospital. (Akron, OH) source
  • 1939: The Big Book is published; groups in Akron, New York and Cleveland have helped about 100 people. (Akron / New York / Cleveland) source
  • 1940: Membership reaches 2,000. source
  • 1941: A Saturday Evening Post article triples membership within a year. source
  • 2021: AA has nearly two million members in about 180 countries. source

What it changed

  • Nearly two million members in about 180 countries as of 2021.
  • Membership tripled the year after the 1941 magazine article.

Why it matters

Founding of AA; the movement's roots are in Akron.

Worth knowing

Bill Wilson was from New York, and AA's start is tied to his 1935 meeting with Dr. Bob Smith in Akron.

Places in Ohio to see

Further reading

Sources

Confidence. Medium: the main facts were confirmed, but some details (often an address or ZIP code) were not.